Japan:5 radioactive materials detected + More News

Tokyo Electric Power Company says some of the nuclear fuel at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has apparently been damaged, as higher levels of radioactive materials have been detected in the vicinity.

The utility on Monday released the results of a radiation survey carried out at the plant on Saturday.

Officials detected in the air 5 radioactive materials that are generated by nuclear fission.

The level of iodine 131 was 5.9 milibecquerels per cubic centimeter. That’s about 6 times the permissible level for workers without protective masks.

The density of the other substances was also higher than usual, but within safety standards.

The utility says the radiation is likely to have come from the damaged reactors, and added that it will check radiation levels daily.

The company also says it has no plan to halt efforts to restore power and pour water into reactors, as these activities pose no risk to workers as long as they wear protective masks.

Monday, March 21, 2011 19:35 +0900 (JST)

Restoring external power to Fukushima Daiichi

The Tokyo Electric Power Company has resumed work to restore external power to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, as part of its efforts to regain cooling functions.

This follows operations by the Tokyo Fire Department and Self-Defense Forces to douse the No.3 and No.4 reactors with water.

They ended their water-spraying operations to cool down the spent fuel rod pools on Monday morning.

External power was extended to the electricity distribution panels of the No.2 and No.5 reactors on Sunday, and power can now be supplied to reactors number 1, 2, 5, and 6.

In order to get the electricity back on at the No.2 reactor, the power company plans to check various measurement devices and lighting systems in the central control room — the heart of the plant — and check for electricity leakage in the battery charging room.

The No.3 and No.4 reactors, where high levels of radiation are forcing workers to exercise extreme caution, are scheduled to be connected to the electricity distribution panels on Tuesday.

The power company is doing everything it can to restore external power, which it sees as essential to regaining cooling functions for the reactor vessels and the spent fuel rod pools.

Radiation levels are dropping somewhat at Fukushima Daiichi plant. The government’s nuclear safety agency says it will continue to monitor the situation carefully.

The Tokyo Fire Department poured water into the plant’s Number 3 reactor for 6.5 hours on Sunday night in a continuing attempt to cool down a storage pool for spent fuel.

The Self-Defense Forces meanwhile shot water into the Number 4 reactor on Sunday, and again on Monday morning.

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency says the operations appear to be paying off to a certain degree, with radiation levels showing a continuous decline since Sunday afternoon.

The agency has been monitoring data at a point about 500 meters northwest of the Number 3 reactor.

It says radiation readings stood at 2,670 microsieverts per hour as of 6:30 AM on Sunday.

It says the figure then rose briefly to 3,346 microsieverts at 2:50 PM on Sunday, but went down again to 2,319 microsieverts at 6:30 AM on Monday.

The agency says the brief jump in radiation could be due to the wind on Sunday afternoon. It says it will continue to closely monitor the situation.

Monday, March 21, 2011 17:46 +0900 (JST)

Govt posts radiation data

Japan’s science ministry is publishing radiation levels monitored nationwide on its website, with the information also available in English, Korean and Chinese.

The ministry’s website began showing the data on Saturday, with information updated twice a day.

The ministry is publishing levels of radiation and radioactive materials monitored on the ground, as well as in rain, tap water and the atmosphere.

The website also shows the science ministry’s independent measurements of radiation near the disaster-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

As of 7 PM Sunday, radiation readings were slightly higher than normal in Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture, and Utsunomiya City, Tochigi Prefecture. But the ministry says the levels do not pose an immediate health hazard.

In Tokyo and six surrounding prefectures, trace amounts of radioactive iodine and cesium have been detected. Neither substance occurs naturally.